TEACHING SPEAKING SKILL

BY

K.NAZEEMA. M.A, M.ED, M.PHIL (ENGLISH)

Why is speaking important?
Speaking is a crucial part of second language
learning and teaching.
Today's world requires that the goal of teaching
speaking should improve students' communicative
skills, because, only in that way, learners can
express themselves and learn how to follow the
social and cultural rules appropriate in each
communicative circumstance.
 What is "Teaching Speaking"?
To use language as a means of expressing values and
judgements and organize their thoughts in a meaningful
and logical sequence.

To produce the English speech sounds and sound patterns

To use word and sentence stress, and intonation.

To select appropriate words and sentences.

To use the language quickly and confidently with few

unnatural pauses, which is called as fluency.(Nunan,
2003)
How To Teach Speaking?
definetely, by "interacting".
-Communicative language teaching and
collaborative learning serve best for this aim.
-Communicative language teaching should
be based on real-life situations that require
communication. By using this method in ESL
classes, learners will have the opportunity of
communicating with each other in the target
language.
Communication strategies (1/2)
These are valuable for dealing with communication
trouble spots (not knowing a word, not
understanding the speaker). They enhance fluency
and add to the efficiency of communication.
Message adjustment/avoidance: Saying what you

can say rather than what you want to say; altering or

reducing the message, going off the point or
completing avoiding it.
Paraphrase: Describing or exemplifying the

action/object whose name you do not know.

Communication strategies (2/2)
Approximation: Using alternative terms which express the

meaning of the target word as closely as possible or using all

purpose words.

Appeals for help.

Asking for repetition/clarification.

Giving an interpretive summary: Reformulating the speakers

message to check that you have understood correctly.

Activities to promote Speaking
Discussions Role Play

Simulations Information Gap
Storytelling Interviews
Reporting Story Completion
Playing Cards Picture Describing
Types of oral interaction activities
Games. Putting pictures
Discovering in order.
differences. Picture
Information interpretation.
sharing. Group
Reaching a discussions/
consensus. debates.
Problem-solving.
Role play.
Interpersonal
Simulation.
Problems of learners with speaking
activities (1/3)
Inhibition. Unlike reading, writing and
listening activities, speaking requires some
degree of real-time exposure to an
audience. Learners are often inhibited
about trying to say things in a foreign
language in the classroom: worried about
making mistakes, fearful of criticism of
loosing face, or simply shy of the attention
that their speech attracts.
Problems of learners with speaking
activities (2/3)
Nothing to say. Even if they are not
inhibited, you often hear learners complain
that they cannot think of anything to say:
they have no motive to express
themselves beyond the guilty feeling that
they should be speaking.
Lack of interest in the topic.
Previous learning experience.
Cultural reasons.
Problems of learners with speaking
activities (3/3)
Low or uneven participation. Only
one participant can talk at a time if he or
she is to be heard; and in a large group
this means that each one will have only
very little talking time. This problem is
compounded by the tendency of some
learners to dominate, while others
speak very little or not at all.
Suggestions for teaching Speaking:
While teaching oral language teachers
should;
provide a rich environment that contains collaborative
work, authentic materials and tasks
try to involve each student in every speaking activity
not correct students' pronunciation mistakes very
often
reduce their own speaking time while increasing
student speaking time
Some Suggestions on the Way Forward:

Provide more practice on reading aloud (application of

phonics skills)
Provide more practice on giving presentations or rehearsed
speech (e.g. show-and-tell)
Provide more practice on spontaneous interaction (e.g. more
interactive activities for pupils to practise using the language
for purposeful communication, not just answering teachers
questions)
Speak with pupils in English both inside and outside the
classroom
Encourage and guide pupils to give appropriate elaboration
(tell them different ways of giving elaboration)
Develop pupils confidence in speaking up (emphasis on
fluency/message before accuracy)
Teach the communication strategies explicitly
Practical Application:
lets play spot the differences
game
Divide into two groups,
Look at the pictures and try to
find ten differences!
Guidelines for a free/creative
speaking activity
Before the lesson:
Decide on your aims: what you want to do and

why.
Try to predict any problems the students might

have.
Work out how long the activity will take and tailor

to the time available.

Prepare any necessary materials.

Work out your instructions.

During the activity (1/2)
Try to arouse the students' interest through
relating the topic to the students interests and
experience.
Leave any structure or vocabulary students may
need on the board for reference.
Make sure that students know the aim of the
activity by giving clear instruction and checking
understanding.
Make sure students have enough time to prepare.
During the activity (2/2)
Make the activity more a 'process' rather than
a 'product'.
Monitor the activity with no interruption except
to provide help and encouragement if
necessary.
Evaluate the activity and the students'
performance to give feedback.
Wait until after the activity has finished before
correcting.
After the activity
Provide feedback.
Include how well the class communicated. Focus
more on what they were able to do rather than
on what they couldn't do.
Sometimes you can record the activity for
discussion afterwards. Focus more on the
possible improvements rather than the mistakes.
Note down repeated mistakes and group correct.
Individual mistakes are corrected individually.
Conclusion
Rather than leading students to pure
memorization, providing a rich
environment where meaningful
communication takes place is desired.
Learners should be more active in the
learning process by means of interactive
activities.
References
Johnson, Keith (1981). Interaction: Some Background,
Some key terms and some definitions, in: Keith
Johnson-K. Morrow (ed.), Communication in
Classroom. London Longman, 1-12.